I Asked 3 Pro Cleaners Which Part of the Kitchen Is the Dirtiest (and They All Said the Same Thing)
If I were a betting woman and had to name the dirtiest spot in the kitchen, my answer would hands-down be underneath the fridge. It makes me sick just thinking about all the dirt and food that gets kicked under there, never to be seen again. Well, good thing I’m not heading to the casino anytime soon, because the odds certainly are stacked against me.
I asked three cleaning experts the following simple question: “What’s the dirtiest spot in the kitchen?” They all said the same thing, and the refrigerator wasn’t even close. Their pick? Drumroll, please … your kitchen cabinets! And if I’m going to get super specific, the tops of your cabinets are likely the absolute grossest. Who knew?
Why Are Your Cabinets the Dirtiest Part of Your Kitchen?
Dionne Livingstone, cleaning expert at Home Spritz, says the tops of cabinets get super dirty because dust loves to settle there, and the grease and steam from cooking rise, “creating this sticky mess that traps even more dirt. It clings to the cabinets, making them a greasy magnet for dust,” she explains. “The heat also ‘bakes’ the grime, getting stickier and harder to clean over time.”
It also depends on how and what you cook. Delah Gomasi, CEO and director of MaidForYou, concurs, sharing that often when cleaning a home where oil is used to fry food regularly, pro cleaners always find the top of kitchen cabinets “caked in layers upon layers of old oil splatter — so much so that we need to use a painter scraper to remove the pent-up oil and then clean with a degreaser.” And because it’s out of sight, you’d likely never know.
Jen Nash, design excellence manager at Magnet Kitchens, slightly disagrees, awarding the front of cabinets with the “dirtiest spot” prize. “Kitchen cabinets might not appear dirty, so they’re easily overlooked when it comes to cleaning, but actually can be one of the dirtiest surfaces in our kitchens,” she says. “If you run a paper towel over your cabinets, you’ll see how much dust and splatter they really collect.”
The best way to care for the interior of kitchen cabinets, according to Gomasi, is with a mixture of dish soap and hot water, and a microfiber cloth. “Dip your microfiber cloth into the soapy mixture, wring out as much water as you can, and wipe down the interior of your kitchen cabinets. Rinse and repeat until clean,” she suggests.
How Else Can You Care for Your Kitchen Cabinets?
Livingstone says an easy way to prevent the tops of your cabinets from getting too gross is simply to use the range hood fan every time you cook. “That will help suck up some of that grease and steam,” she says. “You should also regularly wipe the cabinets down with a degreaser, which will save you from having to do a massive scrub later.”
And, finally, here’s the real game-changer: Both Livingstone and Gomasi suggest putting wax paper or old plastic wrap on the tops of your cabinets. Why? When it gets dirty, you just toss and replace them. The best time to place them on top of your cabinets is when you move into your home — but there’s no hard-and-fast rule. You can certainly do it during your next urge to deep clean and get rid of grease and grime!
Are you surprised that this is the dirtiest spot in your kitchen? Let us know in the comments below!
Further Reading
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